Scenery stop-iron.



C. E. MENTZER.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

CLAUDE E. MENTZER, OF DES IVIOINES, IOWA.

scENERY snor-IRON.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented'Nov. 16, 1915.

Application 1edMarch 16, 1915. Serial No. 14,833.

To fzZZioLom t may concern Be it known that I, CLAUDE E. MENTZER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of ,Des Moines, in -thecounty of Polk and State yof Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Scenery Stop-Iron, yof which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a scenery stop iron of `extremely simple, durable and inexpensive construction, capable of being readily and easily secured to the stiles of scenery and .rigidly connected when they are lashed together.

yA further object is to provide ascenery stop iron of the kind ment-ioned, which can be readily and easily adapted for use in securing the scenery sections in dierent positions.

A further object is to provide such adevice so arranged that when kthe scenery yis taken down for transportation, the :stop iron members willproject a minimum distance'from the stiles. ,i

Still va further object' is to provide a scenery stop iron having coaoting partsyone part being adapted to be secured to the stile of the scenery and to proj ectaminimum distance therefrom, the other part being capa,`

ble ofhaving 4a varietyiof dorms, any foff which may be arranged to coact with the part secured to the scenery.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as herein after more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanyr ing drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a rear elevation of twosections of scenery atlixed with' a stop iron embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows ay vertical, sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the dotted lines illustrating one way in which the stop iron may be used. Fig. 3 shows a horizontal, sectionaly view of av slightly modified form of the removable stop iron member. Fig. tshowsa similar view of another form. Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the form of the stop iron illustrated in Figs. 1 and'2.

In the forms of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally sections of scenery for use in theaters and the like, having the upright rigid stile members 11, which are ordinarily made of wood.

It is well known that the stile members of adjacent sections in various settings must be set in horizontal alinement at right angles to each other, at acute angles to each other, etc., andthat one of the problems of setting scenery is to securely and quickly connect the adjacent sections together. This object could be accomplished much more easily were it not for the fact that it is not desirable to have parts on the stiles which projectv to any considerable distance awa-y from such stiles. For accomplishing the objects hereinbefore set forth, therefore, I have devised the scenery stop irons which really compose two parts, namely a ,member adapted to be secure to the stile and members of.v

different forms adapted to coact with the permanently aliXed member.

The member which lis aliXed to the stile Y comprises ya fiat portion 12 which may be secured to the `stile in any suitablegway, as

bydiolts. Onthe upperportion A,ofthe part f ruse twovofthe permanently affixed membci-son each stile of each section of scenery.

The coacting stop iron comprises a flat horizontal member 16, adapted to rest against the stile and to be slid downwardly between the stile and the portion 14, as illustrated in all of the igures. At one end of the member 16 is a `right angled extension 17 designed to engage the side of the stile, as illustrated. This end I shall, for convenience, call ythe inner end of the member 16. The outer end of the member 16 may have various shapes for accommodating the stop irons for setting the scenery sections in different positions.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 5I have shown the member 16 with a vertical, rearwardly eX- tending rib 18 adjacentr to the member 14' on the side thereof opposite the extension 17, and beyond the rib 18 Vis a portion 16a which entendsV beyond the side edge of the stile 11 on which the member 12 is mounted. lVhen two scenery sections are arranged in horizontal alinenient, the stile 11 of the section adjacent to the section having the style 11 to which the member 12 is secured, is placed edge to edge or side to side with the ic@ v illustrated in Fig. 2, and is overlapped by the portion 16a, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

f The sections are then lashed together as desired. The rib 18 and the extension 17 prevent horizontal sliding movement of the member 16. It will, of course, be readily seen that the member 16 may be quickly and easily removed when the scenery is taken down.- e

It wi'llbe seen that the form of the de vice shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5 may be employed Where the second scenery section is placed with its stile at right angles to the stile to which the member 12 is secured, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a slightly modified form of the member 16 having at its end opposite the extension 17 a right angled extension 19 extending in the opposite direction from the extension 17, and adapted to engage the member 14 to prevent longitudinal movement of the member 16 with relation to said member 14, and also to engage the stile 11 of the adjacent section of scenery extending rearwardly from the section on which the member 12 is mounted at right angles thereto.

kIn Fig. 4 is another modi-fied form of theV member 16` having on its end opposite the extension 17 a parallel extension 20 at the kend of which is a right angled extension 21 extending away from the extension 2O iny a plane parallel with that in which the mem- Hber 16 rests. o f

It will' be understood that some` changes may be made in the arrangement and con- Copies of thisfpatent inlay be obtained for struction of the parts of myy improved stop irons, and it is my intention to cover by this applicationany such changes which may be AincludedV Within the scope ofrmy claim.

the stile as little as possible, and yet be adapted to kiirmly secure the detachable member to the stile. The other portion is adapted to be soconstructed as to be gripped between the member 14 'and thestile and to be held against longitudinal movementyand My improvedstop iron is adapted to be i so constructed that the part permanentlyV aiiixedto the stile shall extend aivayf1`0nf1`45V at the same time have a portion adaptedto engage the stile of the' adjacent section.

I claim as my invention: f In a device of the class described, aV flat member adapted to be secured to a stile, anr

Y CLAUDE E. MEN'rZER. Vvitnesses: 'l v A. SHERMAN, J. MAHER.,

ve cents each, by'addressing'the Commissioner of Patents;

`TTashing-ton,I).C. Y f Y 

